Basic Rabbit Care Info!
|
CARING FOR YOUR NEW RABBIT
|
Congratulations! I hope that your new rabbit brings years of enjoyment to you and your family. The following includes some important information for getting started, and as with any new adventure, read, read, read and then read some more. There are many books and magazines that explain the basics of rabbit keeping, and with time, you will know witch ones work best for you and your new family member!
HOUSING AND EQUIPMENT
You will first need to consider where you will be housing your rabbit, indoors or out? For indoor purposes I recommend a galvanized cage with a wire top and a plastic bottom. For outdoor purposes, a galvanized all wire cage with a dropping pan underneath. These types of pens are both easy to keep clean and provide proper ventilation. Of course, the size of the cage will depend on the size of your rabbit. Jersey Woolly’s can be kept in a cage as small as 18” x 24”, but we find 24” x 24” or 24” x 30” to be a more comfortable size. A good rule of thumb when selecting a cage is one square foot of cage per pound of rabbit.
You will also need food and water dishes. There is quite a wide array to chose from. I find heavy crocks do well for easy cleaning, and the rabbits have a harder time dumping them out. I also find a hanging hay manger a wise choice for keeping their timothy hay up off the ground. Also, if choosing to litter train your rabbit, I recommend a small corner litter box as well for their home. Also, don’t forget the litter! Any type is okay, just be wary of clumping and dustiness. Be sure to place your inside cage away from direct sunlight, electrical cords, drafts, toxic fumes, and dampness.
If using an all wire cage, you may want to put something in the cage, like a board or tile, for the rabbit to rest itself up upon, besides the wire all the time. When choosing a spot outside for your cage, make sure that it is in a spot free of drafts and direct sunlight. A place where it is protected from the elements and any predators. If no place is available, sometimes a tarp helps for placing around the rabbit every evening before bed. If placing the cage outdoors you should provide a small amount of bedding in the winter for the animal to cuddle in. Also, increase their food during this time of year as well and check their water frequently, for it may have froze. In the summer, make sure you check daily for heat stress. If very hot (above 85 degrees) consider bringing your rabbit indoors. If that is not an option, then move your rabbit to a shaded location, freeze water in plastic pop bottles for your rabbit to cool off by, lay damp towels inside and outside of cage, turn on a fan (just not directly on your bunny), and/or mist your rabbit.
If the rabbit is indoors, you may also want to consider some sort of bedding in its cage. There are a lot of choices out they’re, but before you choose, one word of caution. It is wise to stay away from pine and cedar bedding, since these products usually contain perfumes witch are harmful to your rabbit’s respiratory systems. After the choice of bedding, you will want to pick out some food. Pellets are the main item in most rabbit’s diets. When feeding pellets young rabbits (rabbits up to 6 months old) should be free fed, or recieve all the pellets they can eat. Older rabbits,(6 months and above) 1/2 cup once a day. As well as pellets, you may want to offer your rabbits a continuos supply of timothy hay. Never, give a young rabbit under 6 months of age alfalfa or any type of greens (except hay). These can cause diarrhea in your animal witch can quickly become fatal. When your rabbit is older you can slowly introduce occasional treats of apple slices, carrots, raisins, dandelions (from a place that has not been sprayed) and strawberries. Remember to always introduce new food slowly. If you ever need to switch pellets, gradually mix the old food in with the new food for about a week to prevent a shock to the rabbits system. Always provide fresh lukewarm water for your rabbit!
Lastly, we come to toys. Be sure that they are safe for your rabbit to chew on. I recommend a small ball to be pushed around or an empty toilet paper roll with timothy hay stuffed into it.
MALE OR FEMALE
There is a lot of controversy over if a male or female rabbit makes the better house pet. It is said, when handled correctly, a rabbit, whether buck (male) or doe (female), become very tame and affectionate. On one hand, some say that the buck is the better choice because of a doe’s mothering tendency’s, and because of this they sometimes try to dig burrows in carpet, or even go through mood swings because of a false pregnancy or the desire to get bred. On the other hand, some bucks grow up and have a tendency to mark their territories by spraying. As you can see, it is very divided, and both sides have their pros and con’s, so the choice finally rests entirely on your personal preference. However, if you plan on keeping the rabbit strictly for a pet, or may even consider getting it a friend, then a young rabbit (approx. four-month-old) should be spayed or neutered.
WHEN YOU ARRIVE HOME
When you arrive home, put your new family member in its home and then leave it alone for a few hours. This allows your new pet to adjust to its new surroundings. Remember, it was just taken out of it’s old house and possibly even from the safety of it’s little mates so it will need some time to adjust and for the stress to wear off. When about four to six hours has passed, or your rabbit begins to eat, drink, or groom itself it means that the initial shock has worn off, and that now would be a good time to introduce yourself and your family members.
HANDLING
You should try to handle your rabbit everyday, that way it becomes accustomed to you. It will take some time, so be patient! Hold your rabbit by placing one hand under the front feet and the other under its rump. This way it will feel secure and be less likely to struggle.
MAINTENACE AND HEALTH CARE
Most young rabbits will lose or molt their baby coats and around 4 months of age. After that, they will undergo about 2 major molt a year. You can help this process as well. A damp hand or rag ran over your rabbit’s body would help remove some of the hair. Since Jersey Woolly’s are considered a longer haired breed, occasional checks for mats will be needed, and if found, they will either need to be slowly worked out of the hair or cut if necessary.
A rabbits toenails are always growing, so you should check them often. You can trim them with a dog or cat nail trimmer, but be careful not to cut to dip or you may cut the quick (a blood vessel in the toenail). If this happens, apply styptic powder to the nail, until the bleeding stops. When cutting the nails and you can’t see the quick, only cut off a little at a time. The easiest way to cut your bunny’s nails is too have one person wrap the bunny up in a towel, with only its nails peeking out, then the other person can trim the nails.
You should not have to trim your rabbit’s teeth, which are constantly growing as well. Normally, rabbits have a slight overbite and the rabbit will naturally wear his teeth down by themselves. You can however, aid them in this as well. If you would like you can provide a small block of untreated wood to them, or feed them their timothy hay in a hard cube occasionally.
Every day you should do visual maintenance on your rabbit’s home. Do the crocks, feeders, and water’s need cleaned? Does the litter and bedding need changes? Remember a well kept indoor rabbit, will be healthier, cleaner, and your house will not smell like rabbit as well.
If litter box training your rabbit, be sure to place the box in the part of the cage that the rabbit has chosen for it’s bathroom. Also, when allowing the rabbit for runs inside the house, have a litter box available they’re as well. The trick is to know where your rabbit like to “do it’s business” at, and then when you place your litter boxes their, put a few of their droppings in the boxes to give them the right idea.
Also, every day when you handle your rabbit, check to make sure it looks healthy. It should be active, eating, drinking, have bright eyes, and a clean nose, ears, and bottom. There should be round droppings in the pan. Remember the best things you can do for your rabbit are: keep its are clean, provide a good diet, handle it often, and provide love. Signs of illness are: discharge from nose, loss of appetite, matted wet fur on insides of fur and face, or excessive scratching of ears. If your rabbit’s urine looks red, it is not necessarily a sign of concern. Sometimes it is the result of certain foods.
One thing to watch for, especially with breeds with extra fur, like the Jersey Wooly, is called wool block. This sometimes occurs when a rabbit grooms itself and ingests some of its hair, causing an impassable block. The rabbit will stop eating, become thin, and may have trouble passing stool. Its dropping may look like a string of pearls, meaning connected by hair, or the wool that is in the rabbits system. If this condition is not treated, your rabbit will starve. Feeding roughage such as hay and fruits like pineapple, kiwi, or papaya will help prevent wool block. Or you can by an inexpensive treatment for it at your local pet store. Be especially wary of this during times of molting.
ODDS AND ENDS
Remember that a rabbit is a living creature, and it depends entirely on you. Never hit a rabbit! They do not understand the concept of being “naughty” or getting “punished”. If you hit your rabbit, it will only become nasty and afraid. Never give your rabbit free reign of the house if you are not there. When you are there, supervise it at all times when allowing it out for a run. They love to chew on cords, so some “rabbit proofing” may have to be done to your home to prevent any accidents. Some people have put tobacco sauce on thing that they did not want their rabbit to chew on with good success. If your rabbit does start doing something that is inappropriate; you can spray it with a squirt of water in the face. This is usually enough to deter it.
With all this said, please enjoy your rabbit. Treat it right, and it will provide you years of amusement, friendship, and love.
Amanda Lynn Grandberry
 
|
|
|
| |
